Trenton power broker convicted of bribery and pension fraud

Former state Sen. Wayne Bryant, once one of New Jersey’s most powerful politicians, was convicted of bribery and pension fraud for taking state jobs for which he did no work and steering state business to cronies in return.

U.S. Attorney Adam Lurie said Bryant “sold his office” to Dr. Michael Gallagher of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey’s School of Osteopathic Medicine. Gallagher was convicted of bribery and fraud.

Prosecutors called Bryant’s solicitation of the sham job a “shakedown,” The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The prosecution also accused Bryant of accepting $200,000 from the Gloucester Board of Social Services in exchange for less than 15 hours of work over a four-year period.

U.S. Attorney Chris Christie told the Associated Press that Bryant’s conduct was “simply the most disgusting behavior I’ve seen by a public official in my seven years as U.S. Attorney.”

The prosecution said the do-nothing positions added roughly $50,000 to Bryant’s state pension.